terrified of a levels

Hi! I go to a grammar school and I've just started y12 with very good GCSE results and I'm taking english literature, philosophy, french and biology for a level.
I've always been very english and philosophy oriented, and my dream has always been to study english literature at cambridge and my teachers (and my grades) have always said I'm good at these subjects, despite how I feel about my performance.
However for the first few lessons in english and philosophy I have felt so anxious to the point where I gave myself a migraine over the weekend. My mind goes blank whenever I read anything in english or need to contribute in philosophy and it's the worst feeling ever, I really don't know what to do because this is my entire life and now I'm struggling to get anything out in either of those lessons because I just tense up and my mind goes completely blank.

I'm really scared I'm going to fail, I don't know what to do. I'm autistic and have adhd which causes me to be pretty much exhausted from school so I don't really have anything outside of it to fall back on, not even hobbies because I have to sleep almost as soon as I've finished my homework. Does anyone have any advice?

sorry if this is kind of rambly i am just extremely scared

Reply 1

waffelton

12

Original post by briochebunny

Hi! I go to a grammar school and I've just started y12 with very good GCSE results and I'm taking english literature, philosophy, french and biology for a level.
I've always been very english and philosophy oriented, and my dream has always been to study english literature at cambridge and my teachers (and my grades) have always said I'm good at these subjects, despite how I feel about my performance.
However for the first few lessons in english and philosophy I have felt so anxious to the point where I gave myself a migraine over the weekend. My mind goes blank whenever I read anything in english or need to contribute in philosophy and it's the worst feeling ever, I really don't know what to do because this is my entire life and now I'm struggling to get anything out in either of those lessons because I just tense up and my mind goes completely blank.

I'm really scared I'm going to fail, I don't know what to do. I'm autistic and have adhd which causes me to be pretty much exhausted from school so I don't really have anything outside of it to fall back on, not even hobbies because I have to sleep almost as soon as I've finished my homework. Does anyone have any advice?

sorry if this is kind of rambly i am just extremely scared

Hi!! It’s usual to feel anxious at the start of term since the learning curve is so steep. Also remember that A-levels are a learning process and have loads of time to learn before your A-levels, so don’t beat yourself down if your first assessment is lower than what you’re used to (I got a B in my first assessment, but I get A*s now). I have AUDHD, and something that I find helpful for contributing in class is scripting, so go over material in class at home (and even do further reading if you want). Practicing questions and reading things out loud can also help (both with anxiety and memorising). Hope this helps!

Reply 2

NazifaNawer

16

Original post by briochebunny

Hi! I go to a grammar school and I've just started y12 with very good GCSE results and I'm taking english literature, philosophy, french and biology for a level.
I've always been very english and philosophy oriented, and my dream has always been to study english literature at cambridge and my teachers (and my grades) have always said I'm good at these subjects, despite how I feel about my performance.
However for the first few lessons in english and philosophy I have felt so anxious to the point where I gave myself a migraine over the weekend. My mind goes blank whenever I read anything in english or need to contribute in philosophy and it's the worst feeling ever, I really don't know what to do because this is my entire life and now I'm struggling to get anything out in either of those lessons because I just tense up and my mind goes completely blank.

I'm really scared I'm going to fail, I don't know what to do. I'm autistic and have adhd which causes me to be pretty much exhausted from school so I don't really have anything outside of it to fall back on, not even hobbies because I have to sleep almost as soon as I've finished my homework. Does anyone have any advice?

sorry if this is kind of rambly i am just extremely scared

Heyy! It's okay to feel anxious. I just wanna let you know that A level is not as hard as people make it out to be. A level is not a big deal if you are consistent. If you just do your homework on time and do a little bit of extra studying every day then there's nothing to be anxious about. You will even have time to have fun or hang out with your friends. If you think that A level is very difficult, just know that this description of A level was given by students who didn't study the whole year.

Reply 3

cyberstudent99

11

Original post by briochebunny

Hi! I go to a grammar school and I've just started y12 with very good GCSE results and I'm taking english literature, philosophy, french and biology for a level.
I've always been very english and philosophy oriented, and my dream has always been to study english literature at cambridge and my teachers (and my grades) have always said I'm good at these subjects, despite how I feel about my performance.
However for the first few lessons in english and philosophy I have felt so anxious to the point where I gave myself a migraine over the weekend. My mind goes blank whenever I read anything in english or need to contribute in philosophy and it's the worst feeling ever, I really don't know what to do because this is my entire life and now I'm struggling to get anything out in either of those lessons because I just tense up and my mind goes completely blank.

I'm really scared I'm going to fail, I don't know what to do. I'm autistic and have adhd which causes me to be pretty much exhausted from school so I don't really have anything outside of it to fall back on, not even hobbies because I have to sleep almost as soon as I've finished my homework. Does anyone have any advice?

sorry if this is kind of rambly i am just extremely scared

Heya

Sorry to hear you’re feeling scared but don’t worry you’re not the only one.

I think I was pretty similar to you but at a slightly later stage. Personally i think it sounds like you’re a bit burnt out. Possibly from GCSEs, online learning or anything particularly traumatic over the last year or so.

When I was at college I worked really hard on all my a levels. I also held up a weekend job with my 4 A Levels and did occasional volunteering. I kept it up for a while but about a month before my a levels it felt like my brain just stopped working. Everything I read or tried to focus on wasn’t making sense or actually going in and I got really stressed that I was going to fail everything when I had been doing so well up until then.
It went against everything I felt I should be doing, but I stepped back and took a break. And it was the best thing I could have done. Sometimes you need to do just what is required of you and then breathe and think about literally anything else. I was so scared but it all worked out in the end.

My best advice would be to take a deep breath, see how it goes by doing the work but not pushing yourself too much and then set a time goal to revaluate how you feel (maybe Christmas time). If you’re still struggling maybe talk to a teacher you get on with or a mentor or something to see if you can figure out a plan.

best of luck, I hope that helps and know that you’re not alone :smile:

terrified of a levels

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